civil disobedience

In Jefferson County, CO, hundreds of high school students are walking out of classes to protest proposed changes to the school district’s history curriculum. JeffCo board member Julie Williams’s proposal calls for the formation of a committee “to review curricular choices for conformity to JeffCo academic standards” and goes on to state that “[m]aterials should not encourage or condone civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law.”

The full text of the proposal is available via JeffCo’s boarddocs.com account. Williams gave a statement on Tuesday in which she expressed surprise at the students’ reaction. Williams further stated that “balance and respect for citizenship is not censorship.” The Colorado chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union released a response that same afternoon in which they said, “A committee that polices educational materials for insufficient devotion to patriotism or a lack of respect for authority runs the real danger of substituting propaganda for education.”

As of Thursday morning high school walkouts are continuing, with Summit Ridge Middle School attempting to become involved as well. Summit Ridge administration did not allow students out to protest, causing tumult both for parents and administrators. Protests are expected to continue in the absence of revisions to the proposal.